It comes with a Price
by Princess in the Tower
Summary: Short story based off MonicaOP and Reganx Plot bunny in the forums, Henry VIII has a vision of what the future will be if Mary becomes Queen. Shortly after his Queen dies, he remarries changing the future of England forever. But someone isn't happy and decides to challenge fate even further, bringing two people back from the dead. Major Crossover w/Sailor Moon and Saint Seiya.
1. The Price to pay for this gift

**A/N: This is based off two of the plot bunnies posted on the Tudors forum by ReganX and MonicaOP. It will be a short story. and I won't have a lot of time to answer your reviews, nonetheless I am still interested in your thoughts so R/R!**

 _ **"You made a deal, and now it seems**_  
 _ **that you have to offer it up ...**_  
 _ **Seems like I've made the final sacrifice**_  
 _ **We raise it all**_  
 _ **This is a gift, it comes with a price**_  
 _ **who is the lamb and who is the lion?"**_  
 _~Rabbit Heart (Raise it Up) by Florence and the Machine._

~o~

A King wakes up in his palace, bubbles of sweat forming in his forehead. He cleans them with a towel his groom of the stool provides. He asks where is his wife, the Spanish Princess he had rescued from their parents' cruelty, when they squabbled over her dowry.

They remind him that she is labor. Henry sighed in relief, yet fear gripped his heart as he remembered his dream.

Catherine was the greatest jewel in Christendom. It wasn't childhood infatuation as his father told him in his dreams. It was real. But so were his dreams and they were telling him that he would regret his altercation with his father before he died.

"Harry," he had begged him. "Don't marry that girl. I see hell in her eyes."

How could he say that when she was the daughter of the most righteous kings in Christendom, but he could see that his father was utterly convinced and nothing he said would change his mind. So he nodded his head and promised him he wouldn't.

Henry wiped his forehead again as more sweat trickled from his brow.

 _My father had been right._ He thought. _But that was just a dream_. How could he know what was real and what wasn't?

Without waiting for his servants to dress him, he dressed himself and went to the birthing chamber. Men weren't supposed to be there but he didn't care. He was the King, wasn't he? And as such, they had to obey him.

But once he entered, he was greeted by a soft mewling. It was the little cries of a baby boy. "My son." He said taking the clean child, draped in expensive silk from the midwife's arms.

How long he had waited for this moment to come. From now on, he would obey all of heaven's commands, he'd have no more doubts about their marriage. Catherine would be his queen of hearts, the most famous of all English Consorts.

But just like that, his triumph was eclipsed by the midwife who stood before him, telling him two ugly truths.

The King's face turned red, his eyes shed tears for his wife and his offspring. Why, Lord? Why lord?! He yelled mentally, hoping that someone or something would answer him but no answer came. He then looked at the quiet child in his arms.

A girl. A puny, little girl. The cause of all my misery.

God was good, then he decided. To show me what this whelp will cause to my nation. And he gave her back to the midwife, not bothering to look at the sleeping beauty in the bed who had given her life for her child.

That was the end of the golden future that was once meant for Mary and her mother. So many years wasted because an other-worldly force, speaking for truth and justice decided that it was better to punish these women than let the whole world suffer.

None of these people, nor the entity, noticed another force looking down on the dead queen and her child whose arms began to wave, her eyes searching for the parents that would never come. That entity soon grew tired of all the hypocrisy and from her lonely palace activated the device that would smite the forces that took and gave without regard for human life.

"It is time." She told her brother. Her brother's face was solemn. He nodded in submission. The people who called themselves "liberators" had taken so much from people whose only crime was to be born. They, and not the Nemesis kingdom, or the other forces they called "dark"; ruined so many lives.

"My lady, if you do this there is no going back. The sailors will come looking for you and they will probably defeat you. Not to mention that they will see that Princess as a product of darkness."

"They will never breach my fortress."

He continued despite her minor interruption. "And they may be right."

"Have you grown soft Hades?" She smirked. "Perhaps the rumors are right and Athena did bring you down after that last fight in the underworld."

"I am speaking reasonably here sister. You never told your son you were his mother, instead you let another woman raised him because you were afraid of what Zeus' reaction would be once he found out about your illegitimate offspring." He sighed. "Damn. I am going to regret this but I am going to grant you your wish." She thanked him. "Be aware Hera that it won't be easy going past Sailor Pluto. That senshi sees everything and it will require a great amount of power on my -and my warriors- behalf."

"Persephone can help you. Her mother owes you a favor."

"I am not sure she'd be glad to see me but I'll try." She thanked him again, before the screen was turned off, he reminded her of something important. "I miss you sister and I am sorry I couldn't be there for you when you rebelled against your husband."

"You have nothing to be sorry about Hades. You did what you thought was right, and we are not gods. We bleed, we die, we are reborn. We simple have the good luck of being more evolved than those treacherous humans Zeus seeded on Earth." She said. "To think that I once loved them."

"It's not your fault Mary Tudor is without a mother."

"It is. I saw what she became in every timeline, every dimension and I sought to punish her for it, because I thought her weak. Her mother rebelled against her husband, she didn't and I hated her for that."

"Humans are an odd species. They follow useless doctrines that tells them that we all have a destiny, that we are all here on purpose but the truth is, nothing has a purpose. Nature is cruel and uncaring and what people become is because of what they are made to suffer. The future is not set in stone. Only a fool believes that."

Hera smirked. "You should have been the guardian of time."

"No, their lives are too short and besides. It is rather boring looking at all the disaster those fools create in every timeline. I think I will settle for my dark kingdom. And you? Where will you go after you bring Diamond and his half sibling from the dead?"

"I will watch over the Princess, do what I should have done in the first place."

"I never took you for a mother. You failed with Ares, Eris and Vulcan, what makes you think you can raise her right?"

"Hades, always straight to the point even when it hurts."

"It is my nature sister. After many years of being in this hell hole, I have to be straight forward, otherwise souls don't learn."

"I will be like the mother we always dreamed of. I have done many mistakes so I have a better idea of what not to do this time around."

"Good luck sister, I truly mean it."

"So long brother." She said, and turned the screen off. Eons and nothing had changed between the gods. Advanced as they were, they were still bound by their useless caste system. _No wonder the humans are so screwed up._ She changed her clothes and using her magic, appeared on Earth. Uncivilized, dirty. This timeline was still fresh. _No Senshis, no Saints, no gods being reborn and sending their soldiers to fight for their useless wars_. This world was safe. _Not for long_.

Of all the things she came to hate from this species was that they were so sure that once they had a vision, nothing they did could change it, so they killed the person or tuck them away like some unwanted dog. _Stupid._ Doing that only guaranteed the fulfillment of the prophecy, or, if they did the former, becoming no better than their saintly visitors.

It didn't take her long to be accepted into the household of Princess Mary Tudor. It was in Hudson. Not even a grander castle like Hatfield, Windsor. No, the King, as her husband, was a miserable excuse of a being who cared more about his dreams than what he could do to change them.

"It's alright." She told the child once the maids were gone, and it was her turn to watch over the sleeping babe. "You may not understand me but in other timelines you became Bloody Mary. You were horrible and people regarded you as the devil incarnate. Silly creatures. Your father loved you once, but you will not know that now. You will be treated less than human; your father will fear you just as my father feared me and my siblings when he received that prophecy. He believed in destiny as much as your father. Never, did he ask 'can I change this?' 'If I make them mine, won't they turn better?' It is easier for narrow minded people to give into their fears." She told her and kissed her forehead. She reminded her of Eris. A beautiful baby, Eris was quiet too, and aware of her surroundings, she grew up to be an inquisitive young woman, always filled with compassion, until the day came when her father took her away from her and sent her to the farthest reaches of the Nebula galaxy so she could suffer as one of the species in Alkala suffered. 'So you know that life is not filled with dreams. Grow up!' When Eris returned, she was a changed woman. Her caring young daughter was gone, and replaced by a spirit of discord.  
Hera never forgave Zeus for that, but Eris was still her daughter and she loved her. So for the next eons, she blinded herself to the reality of what her daughter had become until she was forced to face the truth and end her misery.

"I promise the same thing won't happen to you. Enough people have given up on you. I won't." She promised and when her time was up, she returned to her chambers.

* * *

Diamond coughed, vomiting. What the hell? "Saphir?" Saphir nodded his head. Like his brother, his head was ransacked by horrible pains that he felt he was going to explode.

"Weren't we dead?"

"I-I think so … This isn't right brother. We should be back in Elysium. Why would Queen Persephone send us here?"

"Don't ask me, you should know. You were courting the bitch." Diamond said, not telling his younger brother that he thought he was an idiot for showing his love to a woman who would never be his.  
Didn't you try the same? Yes, he did. And he lost. I was a fool. To think that the Moon Princess, a being created out of light, birthed by one of the most self-righteous creatures in the universe would ever look at him.

Saphir rolled his eyes. "Not now Diamond. We must look for clothes. Good ones, and get some money. The locals will think we are crazy."

"Aren't we? We just got kicked out of the underworld, brought back to life thanks to the lord and lady of the underworld and given a bizarre message from our dead parents that we were given a second chance with another Princess." He laughed. "I don't know about you. But I am done with Princesses. You can go and do their bidding. Me? I am going somewhere else."

"That's not the right way. Diamond! Diamond!" Saphir swore an oath. Damn his brother and his obstinacy. He went after his brother and after much arguing, finally convinced him to head to the city.

 **~o~**

"Even if were to meet this twerp. What makes you think a girl raised as a Princess with everything handed to her will ever listen to me?"

"Talk to her. Do what men have been doing since the beginning of time, and woo her with your charm."

"For someone who prides himself in being so smart, you are not so smart when it comes to matters of the heart." Diamond said, trying his new uniform. It was a miracle they had been appointed to the King's household. Someone out there was working very hard to get them close to that insignificant girl.

"Here, let me." Saphir helped him adjust his collar.

"These Tudors have some odd sense of fashion don't they? I look like a woman with this tunic." He said laughing. Saphir laughed as well, he also thought these uniforms were ridiculous. "What is it with this flower? Red and white? Ha! Don't tell me, guardians of truth and justice like Moon and her sailors."

Saphir laughed again but pointed out something important. "They know they have no power. Take away their gold, their scepters and what do they get?"

"Good point."

"Because of that, they work extra hard to convince their people of their righteousness and their place on this island, or in the other timelines with Tuxedo Mask. Symbols is what gives them power, and it is a powerful magic. People believe it, and the gods are so impressed by it, that they favor them over the ones at the bottom because deep down the gods are the same as them."

Diamond nodded. He never heard his brother speak so seriously, and with so much hatred like when he touched the subject about the gods. Perhaps I was wrong in underestimating him. He had lost him once to that dark wizard, he wasn't going to lose him again.

"There, good as new brother. It is too bad we don't have access to our snap mirrors, otherwise I would love to have a photograph of you like this."

"You are wearing one too!"

"Yes, but I don't look ridiculous."

 **~o~**

 ** _Fifteen years_** had passed since her birth and her mother's death. She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. Her hair wasn't unruly but she wished it was. She had witnessed the beautiful Isabella of Portugal who had taken her place as Holy Roman Empress besides their cousin Charles.

 _It is not like I wanted to marry him anyway_. She thought to herself _. Liar,_ her conscience barked back. _You thought him cute, admit it._

She did, but that arrogant smirk of his every time he looked at her, like she was some cute pet that needed to be coddled, and he treated her like a child.

She wasn't a child. She was ten at the time and far bolder than the useless courtiers who circled her father, looking for favors, and pushing their daughters in his path hoping that would gain his attention.

 _Stupid. If my dad wanted to sleep with any of them, he'd simply call one to his room and then give her family some castle or fat dowry so she could marry one of his servants._

She sighed _. At least they are married. What will become of me?_  
She dreamed of castles, of beautiful clothing like the ones her mother wore in her portraits, or her stepmother wore, and many children with her face and hair yelling for their mommy.

It is not to be. She wasn't meant to be happy. Ever since her father had married Anne Boleyn, people noticed a change in him. It didn't matter if she gave him a son or not. He was happy and he said from her, would come the greatest monarch.

Some said it was irresponsible to leave everything to a woman, especially one like Mary who wasn't lady-like, or (if the rumors were true) any future daughter he had with Anne, a woman who despite being noble because of her mother, didn't garner that aristocrat status until the King made her a Marquis because of her father who came from a line of merchants.

She played the Virginals again. Music was the only thing she loved that other ladies loved as well. But it was never enough. She wished she could go out like the boys did and hunt, and train a hawk. That would be so liberating. Being out there, commanding an army of well trained men, instead of squealing ladies who all they wished to discuss was poetry and how beautiful they looked.

She tried to be their friend but their conversations were so boring. Last time, she debased herself and became close to the 'perfect lady' that her stepmother wanted, was when Charles V came. But no sooner did he leave, did her stepmother reprimand her for acting so brash.

 _"_ _You are a Princess, it is time you start acting like one. Your father really wanted this alliance."_ Mary pointed out that if that was the case, then he would have paid the dowry in full and not just given a quarter of it and then expect the emperor to forget it. Besides, it was clear that the emperor was in love with their cousin, the much-closer-to-his-age Isabella of Portugal.

So here she was, back to waiting for something to come to her. Just then, she heard the doors open. Her favorite servant and lady, Juno came forward announcing the arrival of two new servants to her father's establishment.

After she parted from her, she asked her "What does this have to do with me?"

"Your father wishes to know your opinion of them, first."

"You mean test them, so he can know if they are capable of withstanding every task once they get past the insufferable little brat?"

"Your Highness! You shouldn't be using that tone. Be patient with them, it is their first time serving highborns like you and him."

Mary nodded. She knew what Juno meant 'Please don't be so hard on them'. "Bring them in."

 **~o~**

After a day in the service of His Majesty, they were finally going to meet this earth girl they were supposed to save from the fate the righteous goddess had cast on her.

Diamond grinned. Saphir told him not to say anything stupid or sound arrogant. "Me? Arrogant? I am hurt Saphir. Knowing how these humans are, it is probably her who will start shouting like a rabid dog, the way Persephone did when you didn't give her, her favorite flowers."

"You are not going to let that go, do you?"

Diamond shook his head, laughing lightly. His face grew serious as a lady emerged who seemed very familiar to the Nemesis brothers, informing them the Princess was ready to see them. She showed them inside and what Diamond saw, stun him.

This wasn't the insignificant girl he had in mind. The one that the Queen's ladies saw was weak and so man-like, that nobody in their right minds would ever want to marry her.

Diamond tried to find the right words. He struggled in his speech, thankfully his brother saved him. "Your Highness, 'tis our pleasure to serve your father."

"Alright, you are dismissed." She said.

"Your Highness."

"I said I was going to be nice to them and I was. Now go, leave, whatever. I need to be alone with my thoughts and in prayer. So long." She said, frustrated that they weren't leaving, and that silver haired one. What did he say his name was? Oh that is right. He didn't. Since Juno kept them there, she might as well learn their names.

"So, what are your names?" Juno gave her a warning look. "Will you tell me your names, good sirs?" She rephrased. Juno smiled, giving her a look that said 'that's better'.

"Saphir, Your Highness and this is my older brother." He looked at Diamond. He was still silent so Saphir lightly elbowed him.

"Diamond Glass, Your Highness. Saphir and Diamond Glass." Diamond managed to say.

"Those are stupid names." Mary said. Who named their sons like that? Especially Diamond. Saphir looked about her age, black hair, pale sapphire eyes while his brother -except for his skin- was the complete opposite. He was silver haired and his eyes were violet.

"I guess my father was feeling merciful. Well then, now you met the hell princess. Now you can go."

Diamond and Saphir nodded and left. "Well, that was short. It's true what they say about the princess, she is worse than her father in temperament." Saphir said with a laugh once they made their way back to the King and Queen who were seated in the dais in the great hall. The Queen was heavily pregnant. Her confinement would start very soon. People prayed for a son to secure the Tudor Dynasty, while the King just prayed for a healthy baby.

Diamond didn't share his brother's humor. The girl … there was a light in her. One that was brighter than any he had felt before. Brighter than Sailor Moon and the Neo Queen Serenity. The lust he had felt for the latter dominated his actions, this time he felt both lust and something else. Something, he wished he didn't feel because last time he gave his heart to someone, it was broken.

This was a big mistake. They shouldn't have been brought here. He could feel it in his bones, he was going to give his heart to this young girl and just like what happened with the Moon Princess, she was going to break it.

 _What if she doesn't?_ He mentally shook his head. Nothing that ever happened to him ended good. His mother died, thinking he was a big disappointment. His father thought he was a fool for dreaming of a better world. Now the two asked him and his brother to save one soul. One insignificant soul whom he shouldn't care about but he did.

 _What sick joke of fate is this?_ Perhaps this was his destiny all along, to be fate's clown. _Something happens, let's have Diamond to play with_. He was not going to give in to his feelings this time. If this Princess was meant to suffer, then so be it. He was not going to interfere. He was tired…


	2. If I told you what I was

**_"Ever since I can remember  
everything inside of me_**  
 ** _just wanted to fit in_**  
 ** _I was never one for pretenders_**  
 ** _everything I tried to be just wouldn't settle in_**  
 ** _If I told you what I was_**  
 ** _would you turn your back on me?_**  
 ** _And if I seemed dangerous,_**  
 ** _would you be scared?_**  
 ** _I get the feeling that just because_**  
 ** _everything I touch_**  
 ** _isn't dark enough_**  
 ** _that this problem lies in me ..."_**  
 _~Monster by Imagine Dragons_

Mary ate from one of the forbidden fruits in the bowl. _"Not until dinner, Mary."_ Her lady governess, Lady Salisbury said. She was one of the few in her party who were allowed to call her by her first name, along with Juno.

Mary threw the rule book out the window when her stomach growled. One bite of one apple, wouldn't hurt. Unfortunately, it did. Juno came charging at her, chastising her for disobeying her lady governess' command.

"I only took one bite."

"One bite is enough. Look at it. It has your teeth marks all over it. What will Her Majesty say when she comes and sees your offering dirty like this?"

"She can buy a new one." Mary said, not really caring for what the Queen had to say about her 'gift'.

"Mary you are going to be the death of us all. Go into your closet, I will tell your ladies to dress you while your lady governess and I look for a new arrangement."

She wanted to tell Juno it was no big deal, but seeing her look, made her rethink that.

When Anne arrived, carrying her two-month old half-brother, Prince George Arthur, she remarked how alike Mary and him were in looks and temperament.

"And he likes you, he rarely likes anyone. Do you wish to hold him? You must start learning for when you become a wife."

Not this again. But Mary bit her lips and nodded her head, unsure if she was going to enjoy a baby's company. Surprisingly, she did. He didn't cry, or make a fuzz like most babies did. He was quiet and didn't pinch her cheeks or laugh at her.

"He is beautiful, isn't he?" Anne asked.

"He is. Congratulations Your Majesty."

Anne gave her a short smile. She wished her stepdaughter would warm up to her. She could understand why the hostility at first but that it had been five years since she married Henry. You'd think she would have acquired some good sense by now.

 _Perhaps it is not meant to be_. Anne refused to believe that. Even if it killed her, Anne was going to win her over. Not for Mary, but for Anne because Mary was still seen as a symbol of the old world to some, and having the English granddaughter of the Catholic Monarchs in her pocket would be Anne's greatest accomplishment.

"Mary, your father and I have been talking."

"About what?"

"About you of course, and we have agreed to send you one of his yeomen as an intellectual companion for when you are bored."

"Why can't I have Doctor Linacre or Juan Luis Vives, or any other Humanist?"

"Those men are old, stepdaughter. Mr. Diamond Glass is young and he and his brother share a lot of your intellectual pursuits."

"Why not send me his brother then?" She asked crossing her arms, earning the disapproving looks from some of Anne's ladies, including the great prostitute and widow, Mary Carey.  
Saphir Glass she could tolerate. He was good to look at, and unlike other boys, he was quiet and respectful.

"We believe Diamond Glass would do you much good." Anne said, omitting the real reason behind this. A man as passive as Saphir wouldn't stand up to her and point out her flaws. She loved the young man, he was well intentioned but didn't have that ambitious streak his brother had.

"Fine, then." Mary said.

"I am glad you have agreed. Nothing matters more to us than your happiness. I will come back later, your brother needs to be back in the nursery with his wet nurse." Anne said, ordering one of her maids to send for the yeomen.

Mary sighed when she left and he came. He had that same 'look at me' smirk he had whenever she saw him on the great hall. _This is going to be one long day._

 **~o~**

"May I make an observation?" He did not wait for her assent. "You are a delicate flower, or so you like to appear before the other ladies of the court, but you are not. Anyone with half a brain can see that you are a strong woman but you lack discipline."

"What-"

He continued. "You are pig headed, you don't listen to anything your lady stepmother says -and why would you when she is just a commoner and you are the daughter of two great monarchs, and the granddaughter of two greater ones at that. Yet she is your stepmother and custom dictates that you obey her."

She was silent, but he could see that she was angry. Her cheeks were flushed red. This man, this nobody had put her in her place that rankled her.

"Face it, Princess. Whether you like it or not, she is your superior and if the rumors are true, then that brat is going to be your superior one day as well and your father … well your father will just forget about you. When he has daughters from her body, he will marry them off, ship them off to some good country to become queens and ruling duchesses while you will be stuck here, a living reminder of everything he fears. The old world vs the new and I don't think I need to tell you which one always wins."

"You are too eloquent for a yeomen of the rose guard. Are you sure you didn't come from somewhere else?"

He chuckled. "Commoners can't be quick witted, is that what you're implying?"

"No, I am not implying anything. It is just … the way you act, stand and behave, one would mistake you almost like a Prince." She emphasized on the 'almost'.

"I am a quick learner and if you had been in my shoes you would have learned quickly as well." He sat next to her, she moved away but he moved closer until her shoulder hit the wall. "You don't have to listen to me, you don't have to do anything. But this is the life you were born into and just like everyone else, you have to make your own path and the only way to do that is playing these people's games.

"What if the game entails me to lie? My mother's faith is the only thing I have left of her."

"It's the way of the world Princess. And it's what Christians do best, do they not?"

She eyed him with big eyes, she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You don't believe in God?"

He shook his head. "No one ever gave me a reason to."

"That is just awful. If my lady mother were queen, she would see that things were right for everyone."

"But she isn't, my lady. Anne Boleyn is and that is the truth you have to stick with. I am not saying you have to believe the nonsense she does any more that you believe the nonsense you do." She glared at him. "Just bow your head, say a few prayers and thank her for showing you the light."

She considered this.

"Everyone is doing it. Even the most faithful are doing it. You know what Sir Thomas More and his family say to one another every time they have to look at the King and Queen holding an English bible to the people? They smile and tell themselves that it is ok because God understands what they are doing and one day, when judgment day comes they will renounce their false beliefs and die for the one true Catholic Church." He chortled at that.

His mother had been right. Humans were the odd species. They prayed to an invisible force -a force that deep down they knew didn't exist- yet they still clung to that belief and were willing to die for it.

"You're asking me to become something fake. Pretend. I don't know if I can do that."

"Of course you can, your grandparents married under a false bull. They didn't care what the papacy said when they thought they were right. They made the rules as they went, convincing themselves it was what God would've wanted. You can do the same, it's not that hard. Your lady stepmother probably did it too, and so did her father and her brother before she came back from France."

Mary was still unsure so Diamond did the next big thing and showed her how it was done. When Anne Boleyn passed through the halls of Whitehall, Diamond emerged and complimented the Queen's great work with the poor, and showing the true way of Christ.

Anne smiled at the guard's audacity, but just as Henry enjoyed some of his men's boldness, she enjoyed some of yeomen, like this one, boldness.

"And may I say, Your Majesty, my brother and I are deeply thankful for allowing us to be part of the King and Queen's entourage."

"The pleasure is ours. Though there is no need to thank us as it is customary for the yeomen of the rose guards to accompany His Majesty and his Queen wherever they go, I imagine it isn't something that low-borns are used to."

'Us', Anne, like her mother, always conscientious that people might be spying on her, never referred to herself in the 'I' but rather used the royal 'We' and 'Us', to make a point that she and the King were one body of government, and that as his Consort, she was nothing more than an extension of him.

"I am afraid not, Your Majesty." Diamond said.

"Mary, why don't you come and join us darling. We are having a picnic tomorrow and it has been months since I enjoyed some good time in the sun since my churching. What do you say?"

"I'd be delighted Madame." She said, forcing herself from saying what she truly felt.

"Good, then it is settled. And Mr. Glass, here." She gave him a golden sovereign. "As a token of my appreciation for you and your brother."

"That was brilliant. First time you didn't bark like a dog." Diamond said once she was gone and they were back in her chambers.

"Don't flatter yourself. She gives golden sovereigns to every idiot who compliment her. She is just like my cousin. Someone says something nice, and she is all head over heels for that person."

"I don't think is that, I think she genuinely likes my charm."

Mary rolled her eyes. "You are silver haired and make for something of a curiosity, especially in a palace that was given to my father by Cardinal Wolsey and got its name because of the white stone used to build it."

"Didn't know you had an interest in architecture."

"It is common knowledge. You'd do well to read more on things that actually matter instead of showing off your looks. It is stupid."

"The Queen and her ladies don't think so. They love to dance, recite poetry when they are not babbling about the gospel like you do."

"I don't blabber, I speak my mind and my faith is the true one."

"That is what all believers say Princess." Diamond said. He put the golden sovereign in his pocket. The designs were poorly made, and the most awful he had seen in all the known universe. No doubt his brother, who always collected this sort of junk, would love it and make good use of it.

"Why don't you believe in God, though? Really." She said when she sat on the sofa, resting her feet on the table in an unlady-like manner. "Everyone has to believe in something."

"There were times when I did believe in a higher force, but stuff happened and one day I realized that believing I was special, that there was something out there that wanted me to have a great destiny for me and my p- family was rubbish so I stopped."

"Don't you think that maybe that is why you are here? That God guided your every movements so you'd come into my father's service with your brother and be favored by him and his wife?" Diamond was about to respond but she beat him to it. "It is not every day that someone from a low background such as yours plummets to where he is now. I can understand your brother, he is not as stubborn or painfully arrogant as you, but you … even with your odd looks, you wouldn't have gotten to where you are unless there was something watching over you."

Diamond was silent.

"Make it what you will. The stubborn ones never listen." She said using the words he'd previously used for her, against him, sharing a little laugh as he grinned at her.

* * *

"Master Cromwell." Henry called his Master Secretary. "I have been reviewing what you said and I think you are right."

Thomas Cromwell smiled, pleased that His Majesty was finally going to follow his advice regarding his daughter.

Henry had been having nightmares again. They had returned two fold since the birth of his son. The future he had prevented could still come back, in many different ways and the only way to prevent that from happening was by sending Mary away.

She would rebel, she would scream but in the end she would submit just like the rest of his subjects.

"It's time I find a husband for my pearl."

* * *

"What?" Mary nearly screamed. They couldn't be serious. She looked to Juno but her expression said it all. She looked back at her new governess, Lady Bryan.

"No! I want to see the Countess of Salisbury right now. My father can't do this. She would not allow for this to happen."

"My lady, I am afraid there is nothing you or I can do. Lady Salisbury has been dismissed due to your cousin's heretical writings regarding His Majesty's new religious policy, and you have been placed under my care."

Mary squeezed her fists.

"I am no happier than you are by this change my lady. Let's make the most of it, shall we?"

"I am not My Lady, I am Princess Mary Tudor, daughter of Henry VIII and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. You go into my father's throne room and tell him I don't want this!"

"My lady, please calm down. Too much excitement can cause your womb to become swollen."

"I don't care what you say, I am not my lady, I am a Princess!"

Lady Bryan gave her a sad smile. How could she put it to this pig-headed stubborn child? "Your Highness," she began using her preferred titled "you are a Princess, you are a king and queen's daughter, however you are to be wed to the future Duke of Bavaria and Count Palatine. Since he is not yet the former, only the latter, you are to be referred to as Lady Palatine or Lady Mary. Whichever one you'd like. If you wish to be called My Lady Countess, to avoid confusion among the other lady Maries, then you will."

"How could my father do this without my consent?"

"Kings don't need their pretty daughters' consent my lady. I shall come to you with a new wardrobe for you to choose. His Majesty and his wife have instructed me that you are to look your very best for when the ambassador arrives."

Mary didn't reply, she sent a shoe hurling her way which missed her new lady governess by an inch.

"Good day, my lady." The Lady Bryan said in a crisp tone, exiting her bedchamber. If the little princess was going to act like a child, then lady Bryan would treat her like one. She didn't have the time for such antics.

~o~

"You brought this on yourself. If you had treated the Queen with more respect-"

"Don't talk to me about respect. You see me as a little twerp." His eyes widened. "I am not stupid, I know what people say behind my back." She gave a dry laugh. "Now I'm going to be shipped off to some forsake duchy to be what? Countess of nothing? Duchess in waiting?" After a long pause, she said "I am not going."

"You are crazy, you know that."

"I am not going Diamond. I am not going to be sold off like this. If the future Duke wants to marry me, he will do so but under my own terms. I won't accept less."

He was impressed. "You have certainly grown in the few weeks we've known each other. What are you going to say when the Ambassador comes? He won't be so pleased."

"He will have to listen to what I have to say and relay those terms to Philip, otherwise, here I will remain, happily single."

"You don't mean that. Nobody really wants to be alone."

"How do you know? What is so good about being married? Chained to one person for the rest of your life? No, thank you. That is not me."

"What do you want to be, then?" He asked, curious.

She smiled and got on top of her bed. "A Queen, a warrior like my grandmother or better yet, like Artemisia I of Caria who fought to fend off the Greeks and whose courage was recognized by everyone."

"You have a way with words. Poetic for someone so little. Those are some big ambitions Princess, what makes you think you can achieve them?"

"I don't, but it's what keeps me going." She confessed getting down from her bed.

Prince Diamond envied her. He was like her once. Maybe you can still help her. He wished he could take her and his brother, so it would just be the three of them and find some spot in the known universe where they could live eternity together, safe from plots, intrigue and self-righteous deities.  
 _But you are deluding yourself Diamond. Just like the Neo-Queen Serenity, she will reject me and think little of my advances. I am nothing but an insect to her. A commodity, a pity object, nothing more._

 _How can you be so sure_? His conscience egged him to kiss her, but he was afraid. He had his heart broken, he was not about to see it turn into a million pieces again.

 _Just tell her._ So he did and needless to say it didn't go as well as he expected ...


End file.
